sonicTransporter i7 - really pleased with performance and DSP conversion
I ran three zones simultaneously playing different tracks and DSP enabled (power of 2 plus room correction.) I added each zone one at a time roughly a minute apart. You can see the additional Tidal traffic from the network graph.
Edit: Backup to Backblaze was also running.
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Same as you, an old desktop, in my case an old Mac Pro. It was sitting unused, so I figure I’ll use it until it dies, and I’m in the same boat as you are now.
If I had to buy something now, it would likely be a Mac Mini. I just like that it has utility otherwise, should you need/want it.
#unhelpful
Fanless NAS - QNAP HS-251+
Do you use DSP? I’ve always been curious as to whether an i7 is really required for DSP use…
So pretty memory-intensive, but not CPU.
You’re running ZFS; right?
The only DSP function I currently use is volume leveling at the track level. The reason I did not buy the sonicTransporter i7 is that I knew with my DAC, the PS Audio DirectStream, that I would not be using the DSP functions. The DirectStream sounds best if you let it do all the upsampling (20x DSD). If I had or had plans to buy, a DAC that benefited from the DSP functions I may have purchased sonicTransporter i7 or done something with Roon/HQPlayer integration instead.
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Linux will allocate available memory, so that’s not a real indicator of use. Before setting up ZFS mirror it was allocating around 6GB. I’ve another 8GB on order.
Not high CPU intense DSP is fine. And there is a successor of my fanless QNAP short ahead too.
I just moved mine from an i7 Dell laptop to a NUC Skull Canyon w/ 32gb of RAM and an 500gb NVME running ESXi (I wanted to be able to use the laptop for other things, and run some other stuff as VMs as a lab). I’m running Roon Core in an Ubuntu server VM. My music is all on a Synology NAS (30,000 tracks). I’m still playing around with the minimum resources to keep the VM stable. 4 cores and 8gb of RAM seems to be the magic number. Possible I could drop to 2 cores but 8gb RAM seems to be the floor. It doesn’t seem to be using all of the RAM ever but if I back it down to 4gb, browsing from an iOS remote will crash the VM (oddly browsing from the desktop Roon client is fine).
I use base Nucleus with i3.
I do DSP convolution with 132k taps, plus power-of-2 upsampling, I got a processing speed about 20X.
Without upsampling, but using the Audeze preset and 3db headroom, speed 90X.
DSD upsampling with convolution brought it to power factor 2 (just a test, I don’t use that).
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Dedicated music server MacMini: 3.0GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7
16GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM
1TB Flash Storage.
When using “full fat” DSD sample rate conversion, I get to processing speeds as low as 1x. So, I’d say you need a lot of power if you want to play with the exteme files.
Roon Core on NAS QNAP TS-251+ 8G RAM working seamlessly (9k songs all hi-res,flac, alac. No one single MP3)
Laptop via USB to CHORD QTEST dac (wired net from NAS to LAPTOP)
Laptop via USB to Project Pre Box S2 Digital dac (wired net from NAS to LAPTOP)
Iphone / ipad as remote controllers.
Best regards and enjoy the music
4th gen NUC i5 in a fanless tranquil case running W10.
Sorry for bringing this old thread to life:
@Bob_Fairbairn1 : I am using a similar aged Mac (i7, upgraded to 16 GB RAM, 256Gb SSD, USB reclocker/galvanic isolator). Using it for Roon Core, Spotify Connect, Tidal + NAS for “local” storage). It’s anyhow a tad slow these days.
Questions:
- Are you running OSx? Any mods you’d recommend to enhance CPU-cycle utilization?
- Did you try install a pure Linux distro (Ubuntu, Mint, something else)?
I’m trying to read up on Roon core running on Max / Linux - and since the Mac Os hogs a lot of resources for things I don’t utilize I’d rather free up CPU power for Roon Core and a Roon Bridge.
Any input appreciated 
(Edited: Updated RAM size…)
Tommy,
It has been almost a year since I decided that I did not want to “manage” different operating systems in my stereo. I was actually trying to keep the OS up to date. I am in information security guy and I am not happy with computing devices that are not kept up to date in my network.
From the audio side I had been trying to run the Mac Mini using USB out to the DAC directly and found that was not optimal. I had even replaced the Power Supply in the Mac Mini as a test. So I threw a lot of money at the problem! I have moved to a different system for my Roon Core. I am now using a Small Green Computer Sonic Transporter as my core and an UltraRendu for my NAA.
There are a couple of good threads on Mac Mini over on Computer Audiophile. @superdad the owner of Uptone Audio has done a lot of work in the Mac space. There is also some work being done over there with Audio Linux using the Intel NUC computers. Which is very very preliminary and rather promising at this point.
7th gen NUC i3 with ROCK, music on Synology 716+ with Tidal thrown in.
Cheap and more than enough. Fan noise not audible. Using WIN10.
New Mac Mini I5. The Music is on a LaCie 2Big T3 RAID 1. Runs exceedingly well. My iPad may as well be the system display. Music playing on a wired ID41 (Meridian 861). So far, I’ve noticed no issues while using the Mac for anything else simultaneously but it’s only been running a couple of days. Totally quiet. I haven’t tried holding my ear to the LaCie.
Bob, really appreciate you taking the time to elaborate - thx!
I’m also looking for another solution now, reading up on the the NUCs and the Sonic Transporters, I even have a PC part supplier shopping cart with a DIY, MiniATX Light form factor i7 Intel, it goes on and on. One argument to go the Intel route is not to be locked in to a certain SW platform - at the cost of time and devotion to keep things running.
Hans Beekhuyzen have reviewed several alternatives on YouTube, if you find the time his channel is actually worth exploring (he’s an engineer of sorts and use very few superlatives).
Long reply, sorry about that, again thx and “enjoy the music”